Raven Haven
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Cedric discovers that Wormwood has been traveling to a place called the Raven Haven, a rescue shelter for injured or ill ravens. When he and Sofia investigate, they discover something unexpected about their feathered friend.


Raven Haven

Summary: Cedric discovers that Wormwood has been traveling to a place called the Raven Haven, a rescue shelter for injured or ill ravens. When he and Sofia investigate, they discover something unexpected about their feathered friend.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_. I only own the Raven Haven…and Nina! :)

A/N: So this story is sort of a carry-over from a story I wrote a few weeks ago: "Captivated." If you're not familiar with the character of Nina, she's a baby bird who fell out of a tree; Cedric and Sofia helped her and put her back. And Wormwood was _highly_ jealous and suspicious of her… So yes, you'll see her here! Also, it gets a little…sweet. Lol. Enjoy!

*Story*

Cedric tapped his fingers against his table as he stared at the melting wax of a candle. He'd lit it quite some time ago, and it had shrunk considerably since then. He sighed and stood, pacing slowly back and forth. "Where are you, Wormy?" he mumbled before glancing upward as the raven in question suddenly flew in through the open window. He was about to say something, but he was surprised when his companion flew instantly to his perch and nestled in for the night.

The sorcerer frowned and walked over to the perch, grasping it and pulling it downward to get the raven's attention.

"Cedric," Wormwood muttered tiredly with a rough sigh. "What on earth do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He gestured toward the darkened skies and bright moon. "Where have you been?"

"Well, I decided to be productive, so I fed the hungry, adopted two abandoned ostriches, solved all the world's problems, and was the ring bearer in a neighboring kingdom's recent wedding. Why do you ask?"

Cedric raised his eyebrows at the bird before scoffing and letting go of the perch, snapping it back into place and smirking when Wormwood let out a caw of surprise. "You know, now that I can understand you, I must say…I never realized how incredibly sarcastic you can be."

"It's part of my charm…and it's also derived from dealing with the same inane issues over and over again. But we won't get into that, seeing as it is—as you pointed out so clearly—quite late." He lowered his head again. "Good night, Cedric."

"But, Wormy…" He sighed heavily as he realized the bird wasn't going to respond anymore. "Fine, be that way. I don't care if you interact with others, but at least be back at a more reasonable hour so I'm not up all night waiting for you." With that, he retired for the evening.

Wormwood cracked open one eye and smiled secretively before going back to sleep.

The next afternoon, Sofia visited with intentions other than lessons for a change.

"You want me to do what now?" Cedric asked with a baffled look.

"Come with me to the Raven Haven," she said sweetly as she clasped her hands in a playful pleading manner. "Please, Mr. Cedric?"

"Well, what is it anyway, this Raven Haven?" He grabbed his wand and slid it into his robe before turning back to face her.

"It's a rescue shelter for, well, ravens. One of the villagers runs it out of his family's house, and they've been helping nurse sick and injured ravens back to health. So like if Wormwood ever got sick or anything and you didn't have a potion to heal him, then he could go there."

"Speaking of which, have you seen him recently?" He sighed and folded his arms. "He's been disappearing a lot on me here recently, and while the peace and quiet is alarmingly refreshing, it does get quite monotonous after a while."

Sofia shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him since a few days ago." She grinned as he sighed again once she grasped his hands, unfolding his arms in the process. "So will you go with me, please?"

"Don't you ever ask Baileywick or someone else to go on these mini adventures with you?" he inquired as he felt himself being pulled out the door…not that he tried to stop her. Maybe a break from his tower would do him some good.

The princess laughed. "I think we both know the answer to that question, Mr. Cedric."

After informing her parents of their plans, Sofia, accompanied by Cedric, travelled into the village of Dunwiddie. After cheerfully greeting plenty of familiar faces and talking with them for just a bit, the duo finally made their way to their destination: the Raven Haven. It was simply a small log cabin on the outside, but the inside proved to be something else entirely.

Cedric and Sofia simultaneously murmured sounds of awe as they entered the cabin. While one part seemed to be sectioned off for a homestead, the part they had entered was quite fascinating. A dark-skinned man with one of his young sons was tending to a few small ravens, who appeared to be in makeshift casts. The man turned to the two guests and smiled.

"Good morning," he greeted kindly. "Oh, Princess Sofia! What an honor to have you here."

"Thank you," she said sweetly. "You're Mr. Birdsong, right?"

"That I am. Your friends Ruby and Jade have told me a lot about you. They just go on and on about you whenever they visit." And nodded toward Cedric in acknowledgement. "And who is your friend here?"

"This is Mr. Cedric. He's our Royal Sorcerer."

Cedric accepted the extended hand and shook it. "I must say, this is quite a nice place," he admitted. While he wasn't necessarily a _people person_ by any means, he couldn't help but admire someone who put such stock into helping his favorite animal.

"Why, thank you. My wife and I got the idea to create it and work out of our home after we found a nest of abandoned ravens a few years ago. That's before our children were even born." He nodded toward his little son. "Jeremiah there is three. His little sister, Addie, was born a few months ago. They both love ravens."

"I can understand that," the sorcerer responded. "I have a raven myself: Wormwood. He's been my companion for a good number of years now. They're such majestic yet mysterious creatures."

Sofia grinned. "Mystery just suits you well, doesn't it, Mr. Cedric?"

He smiled toward her. "I suppose so."

"So how many ravens do you have here now, Mr. Birdsong?"

The shop keeper beckoned them further inside. "We have two adult ravens with broken wings. Looks like they might have taken a tumble." He indicated the sleeping ravens in the corner.

"Aw," Sofia sighed. She was instantly reminded of a little raven they had encountered a few weeks ago—Nina—who had fallen out of her own nest. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt.

"And then we have these little guys." He led them to the three baby ravens nestled together in some cloth. "They were attacked by some animal, and their talons were fractured. We're fixing them some casts so they can heal properly. Just like a child, they take round-the-clock care."

"Wow," Sofia breathed in admiration. "That's so kind of you. I know they appreciate it."

He smiled. "It's the least I can do." He glanced toward the window at the back of the house when he heard a tap on the glass. "Ah, and here's my favorite visitor." He walked over and lifted the window, allowing a more familiar raven inside.

Cedric's eyes widened when he realized just who had arrived. "Wormy?"

Wormwood paused upon entering the house, and his beak dropped. _Cedric_?! He couldn't very well respond here, as no one was to know the secret the three of them shared. Still, he'd been caught, and he couldn't exactly deny it.

"You know him?" Mr. Birdsong wondered. "He's been visiting us here a lot the last week or so, tending to the baby ravens or simply observing."

The sorcerer smirked as his friend appeared to become bashful. "That's my raven actually, the one I spoke of earlier. Wormwood."

"Oh! Well, he's been a big help to us." Mr. Birdsong stroked Wormwood's feathers. "Wasn't something I was expecting."

"That makes three of us," Sofia whispered to Cedric, who chuckled.

"I need to leave you two for just a few minutes. I was supposed to help my wife with something earlier. Will you be all right here?"

"Certainly," Cedric assured him as Mr. Birdsong took his little boy's hand and exited into the other part of the house. He turned his gaze back to his long-time friend and smirked. "Well, well, well."

"Not a word," Wormwood warned as he huffed. "I know what you're going to say, and I don't need you two getting mushy on me."

"But Wormwood, this is so sweet!" Sofia argued lightly. "Who knew the big, bad bird had a soft spot?" She gently caressed the baby birds' heads, smiling as they cooed in harmony. "Admit it. You do have a heart after all."

"Well, of course I do," the raven scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "It would be quite difficult to live without ventricular momentum."

The princess giggled. "You know what I mean."

"Oh, fine. So I'm not completely heartless. Satisfied?" He gestured toward all the ravens in the room. "Just look around you, Princess. You know as well as I that an injured raven is a sitting duck, so to speak. They need all the help they can get."

Cedric smiled proudly. "I'm impressed, Wormy. Can't really say I imagined you taking on this role, but you've managed to surprise me."

"Mr. Wormwood!" a little voice called outside the window.

Sofia and Cedric looked toward the window, where they saw a familiar raven tapping at the glass and trying to get inside.

"Is that Nina?" Sofia asked in surprise.

Cedric lifted the window and let the young raven inside. She seemed to have grown a bit since they'd last seen her, and she was indeed flying well now. "Nina?"

"Ah! Mr. Cedric!" She giggled and rushed at the sorcerer, wrapping her wings around his neck. "Mr. Wormwood told me you never came here! Boy, was he wrong!"

"Indeed," Wormwood drawled with a roll of his eyes.

"Wait, you two are working together?" Sofia guessed as the little raven nuzzled her next. She smiled as Nina settled onto her shoulder.

"That's right! Those little ravens over there got hurt when a mean old cat tried to attack them. I saw it all from my nest. I was scared they were not going to make it." She smiled happily. "That's when the nice human man found them and saved them. I followed him here, and it was here that I met up with Mr. Wormwood. And we've been working together ever since."

"Isn't that sweet, _Mr. Wormwood_?" Cedric chuckled as his companion gave him a pointed stare.

"Yes," he responded gruffly, "it seems we both now have a habit of younger ones following us around and admiring us for whatever reason." He groaned in dismay as the little raven flew over and alighted onto his back. "Nina, what are you doing?"

"Giddy up!" she giggled.

"I don't think so." He frowned when Cedric and Sofia laughed. "This isn't funny!" He sighed as his words fell flat when Nina folded her wings around his neck and hugged him. "Ugh. There goes all my credibility."

"I think it's sweet," Sofia said.

"You _would_." Wormwood shrugged the little raven off before sighing. "So I suppose now that you two know my secret, you're going to nag me about it from now on, correct?"

"Not at all," Cedric countered, making his companion blink. "If this is something you want to do in your spare time, you should do it. It keeps you busy and far less bored in my workshop… Just remember to come in at a decent hour so that I'm not worried something has happened to you."

Wormwood smirked and nodded. "Yes, Father." He snickered as Cedric made a sound of annoyance.

"Mr. Cedric, we should get back. It's almost lunchtime."

The sorcerer nodded. "All right then. Wormy, Nina, you two be good."

"We will, Mr. Cedric!" Nina cheered as she giggled. "Bye, Sofia!"

"Bye, Nina! Bye, Wormwood!" After bidding farewell to Mr. Birdsong and his family as well, she and Cedric left.

Wormwood looked toward Nina, who had settled in front of him and was staring at him in admiration. "What?"

"You're the most awesome raven ever," she gushed. "When you're not being a grumpy bird."

"That's Mr. Grumpy Bird to you, little one." He smirked as she laughed. "Let's get to work."

The end


End file.
